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Simmonds & Bal Take Top Prizes

Jan 30, 2011

South Africa: Randall Bal (USA) and Elizabeth Simmonds (GBR) emerged best male and female swimmers of the inaugural SA International Invitational Swimming Meet at Newton Park Swimming Pool in Port Elizabeth on 29 and 30 January.

Bal won $10,000 after clocking 24.83 in the 50m backstroke to defeat world champion Liam Tancock (GBR) and Gerhard Zandberg (RSA); Simmonds took the women's prize for her 2:09.28 victory over Olympic champion Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) in the 200m backstroke.

Coventry took four wins over the weekend, adding the 400m medley to her tally today in 4:41.35, well up on world short-course champion Mireia Belmonte (ESP), on 4:44.84, with former world s/c record holder Kathryn Meaklim (RSA) third in 4:45.75. Belonte won the 200m butterfly in 2:12.43.

Francesca Halsall (GBR) took the 100m free in 55.90, while Britain teammate and former Commonwealth 200m free champion Ross Davenport claimed the 200m free in 1:50.07 over 1:50.26 over Benjamin Starke (GER), with Chad Le Clos (RSA) third in 1:50.36.

Starke and Le Clos were back in the swim soon after, the German getting the edge on the South African in the 100m butterfly, 53.51 to 53.92.

In the absence of Cameron van der Burgh (RSA), who feared an injury and withdrew from the 100m Breaststroke, Brazil’s Joao Gomes took the 100m breaststroke in 1:02.04, ahead of Neil Versfeld (1:02.09) and Raphael Rodrigues, the winner's teammate, on 1:02.92.

George Bovell, US-based Trinidad and Tobago ace, was a class ahead of Gideon Louw (RSA) and Grant Turner (GBR) in the 50m freestyle, 22.39 to 22.86 and 23.12 respectively.

BERNARD TRIPLES

Luxembourg: At the Euro Meet, Olympic champion Alain Bernard (FRA) claimed the 100m freestyle in 49.20 ahead of Markus Deibler (GER), on 49.89, and the Frenchman CN Antibes teammate, Boris Steimetz, on 49.97. Bernard won the 50m and 200m yesterday.